Run To Win

If anyone competes as an athlete,

he does not win the prize

unless he competes according to the rules.

2 Timothy 2:5

Any athlete worth her salt knows the rigorous training that goes into achieving victory. Success doesn't come by happenstance or magic. Her preparation must be methodical and systematic. Early mornings. Scheduled sacrifice. Any dreams of taking home a title are unlikely, if not impossible, without honing her craft to near perfection through painstaking commitment and diligence. She must build muscle, expand her stamina, and streamline her mechanics until performing them fluidly comes as natural to her as breathing.

No one accidentally backs in to athletic achievement at the highest level. Nobody.

Which is why it is always a shame when a well-trained athlete, having dedicated her life and limb to the pursuit, ends up throwing it away by refusing to follow the regulations of her sport. How sad to see all that practice go to waste, all that potential underutilized, all that sweat and effort amount to nothing except disqualification and disgrace because of ethical or chemical or operational shortcuts to success.

"Run in such a way that you may win" (1 Corinthians 9:24). Read it again and see: the winning is not just in the running. It is in the way the race is run.

As believers, of course, our right standing before God had not been earned through our own spiritual exertion. The grace we've received is nothing other than "the gift of God, not a result of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Hallelujah! Through Christ's sacrifice alone we have "been released from the Law" (Romans 7:6) and from its binding effects on us for our salvation. And yet the Bible clearly marks the pathway that leads to a thriving life of Christian victory and blessing. It's really not much of a secret. God has made known the lines of demarcation within which you can experience success in all the events you've entered in life -- as a parent, a wife, a friend, a leader -- all the places where you're determined to excel in serving Him.

Don't forfeit the opportunity through rebellion or illegitimates shortcuts or spiritual indolence. Don't throw away the things you've been called, equipped, and prepared to become by refusing to run within the divine boundaries of obedience the Lord has set up for your benefit. Run the race not only with endurance and diligence, but also with careful, watchful submission to His Word. When you're tempted to put yourself in a better position by bending a biblical principle, stay anchored to the right path. When the Spirit alerts you to a ground rule (which feels in the moment to be unnecessary and inconvenient), don't recoil in rebellion. Deny yourself and follow Him. Run to win. Trust your Father to keep you on the winning trajectory, one that leads to hearing "well done" and enjoying the long-lasting satisfaction of eternal accomplishments -- the only achievements that really matter anyway.

Continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of,

knowing from Whom you have learned them.

2 Timothy 3:14

What are some basic, biblical guidelines you've gotten away from prioritizing?

Ask the Lord to bring them to mind.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only,

deceiving yourselves. James 1:22

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

--> From -Day 4- of Priscilla Shirer's AWAKEN "90 Days with the God who Speaks"

#healthy #run #faith